Bengaluru FC head coach Simon Grayson lauded his players for their fighting spirit as the Blues thrashed FC Goa 3-1 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium to register an eighth-straight win in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23.
In an action-packed first half, both the teams were level after Iker Guarotxena canceled out Sivasakthi Narayanan’s early opener.
Both sides had their chances in the second half but quick goals from Narayanan and substitute Pablo Perez sealed the tie in Bengaluru FC’s favor on Thursday night.
The result ended FC Goa’s playoff aspirations. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC are now third in the ISL standings after a record eight wins on the bounce.
Grayson felt that his side was sluggish in the first half, but commended his players for fighting in the second half.
He said, ‘Sometimes we used to get overrun in the middle of the pitch. This is what FC Goa can do with you. If you put the ball back to good football teams, it doesn’t matter what team or system you’re playing, the good sides will always hurt you and make it tough for you. And that’s what they did in the first half,” Grayson said at the post-match press conference.
“I made the players realize (at half time) that we haven’t played anywhere near the level that we’ve played. I expect what they expect of themselves. I don’t think we’ve worked as hard as That we did in the last few weeks.
“There are a lot of things we did well that we didn’t do tonight. But that also goes down to a bit of inexperience in the team. Bruno (Remaires) was supposed to play at centre-back,” said Grayson.
“I’m not saying he’s at fault or anything like that, I’m saying players sometimes have to play in different positions and systems which is not easy to do. But we saw it and Full credit goes to the players. They kept going and what we did paid off.”
Narayanan shone for Bengaluru FC by netting a brace, yet another stellar performance from the youngster.
The 22-year-old is Bengaluru FC’s joint-highest goalscorer this season along with Javier Hernandez, with six goals to his name.
“Shiva is a goalscorer. He is always on the move. No one would have expected Shiva to score the first goal with a header. It was a good delivery but he always moves forward, expecting the ball to land on or around his feet. That’s what the child does. He works hard in training and his stats are higher than anyone’s. Once you do the extra (work), this, that and the other (stuff), you will be rewarded. And he got his (reward) today,” Grayson said.
The Blues have already sealed their spot in the playoffs and are currently on a club-record eight-game winning streak.
After a slow start to the season, the Blues came back in style to reach the playoffs. In 2023, they are the only team that has not yet faced defeat. Grayson called for his side to hit the ground running and play with the mindset of getting better with each game.
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“There is a fine line between confidence and overconfidence and we have to maintain that level of humility and poise and that definitely won’t come from me. He will have his recovery on Sunday and then we will prepare whenever and wherever we have to play. It is the same kind of attitude that has taken us to where we are now,” he said.
He said, ‘Every time we walk out of the dressing room, the same message goes that we have to be better than the last match. And we have to keep focusing on this. We haven’t done anything. We have won eight matches which is a great record. We have won the Durand Cup, but that’s all. We’re going to have to win a few more games if we want to win anything,” Grayson concluded.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)